Gary Neville says Manchester United will be fine without Paul Pogba as midfielder appears close to exit with Barcelona said to be interested

The club is bigger

The former Old Trafford defender explained what he would say to Pogba from a pundit, fan, player and owner’s point of view

It doesn’t appear likely that Paul Pogba will stick around at Manchester United for long and Gary Neville thinks the club will be fine without him.

The midfielder has a fractious relationship with his manager, Jose Mourinho, and has been given subtle hints about an eventual exit – ‘dickhead behaviour’ according to boxer and United fan Anthony Crolla.

Pogba’s future at Manchester United is uncertain

Pogba was linked with moves away in the summer, with Barcelona striker Luis Suarez claiming he would be welcome at the Camp Nou, though the World Cup winner insists it is just talk.

“My future is currently in Manchester, I still have a contract, I’m playing there at the moment, but who knows what will happen in the next few months,” he said.

And when asked if he had a tense relationship with Mourinho, Pogba nodded before replying: “We have a pure coach-player relationship, that’s right.

“One thing I can assure you: I will always give 100 per cent, no matter which coach I always give everything for United – I can not say more.”

Neville now works for Sky Sports and is a well respected football pundit

Speaking about the player, Sky Sports pundit Neville, a United fan and former player said: “Neville the pundit on Pogba would say, ‘He’s a talented player but I want to see more consistency and leadership,’” he told The Times.

“As a fan, honestly, part of me is that no one is bigger than the club and I am not interested in people who are looking left and right.

“So Paul, if you want to go play somewhere else, let’s make that work for you because Manchester United will be fine, don’t worry about that.

“The owner in me would do what United are doing at the moment, saying he is not for sale. They have to protect their asset but privately they might be doing a deal because they want to get their £90 million back.

Neville spent his entire playing career at Manchester United

“If I was still in that dressing room giving personal advice it would be, ‘Paul, it’s obvious you want to play somewhere else but be professional. Don’t be someone who is seen as a mercenary or a mutineer. You don’t need to do that.’

“So there are four ways to look at it — pundit, owner, fan, a personal word.”